This invention pertains to firefighting equipment and, more particularly, to fire hose gripping devices and a process for extinguishing fires.
Fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants are similar but different in many respects than fires in homes, apartments, warehouses, high rises and other office buildings. Fires in homes, apartments, warehouses, high rises, and other office buildings occur primarily in the inside of the buildings, although the flames can rise above the buildings' exteriors. Fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants, as well as in inside structures, often emit enormous flames, fireballs, billows of smoke, immense heat, and clouds of noxious toxic gases.
Fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants occur primarily on the outside and in the open air where there are gusts of wind and an endless supply of air to support combustion. Fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants often involve or are near large amounts of fuel and process equipment which can feed the fire and/or cause enormous explosions. These sources of combustible fuel can include aboveground tanks containing gasoline, oil, petrochemical feedstocks, and other hydrocarbons, as well as numerous oil pipelines and gas lines. Refinery process equipment typically includes hydrotreaters which contain hydrogen-rich gases at high pressures and temperatures, catalytic cracking units, pipe stills, fractionating columns, combustors, regenerators, furnaces, CO boilers, alkylation units, and/or isomerization units.
Fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants are extremely dangerous. They can cause extensive damage to a refinery or petrochemical plant as well as to property in adjacent areas. Such fires and explosions can also cause death and severe injuries to personnel in the refinery or petrochemical plant and nearby persons.
Fire hoses are often required to be manually held, lifted, and grasped for long periods of time, sometimes for six hours or more, while fighting and extinguishing fires in oil refineries and petrochemical plants, as well as in inside structures such as apartment buildings, warehouses, high rises, etc. Such work is tiresome, cumbersome, and difficult. Fatigue often occurs. Furthermore, water sprayed on the fire hose because of winds or rain often makes it difficult to grasp the hose. Hose slippage is frequent.
Over the years a variety of fire hose clamps, fittings, slings, and gripping devices have been used for gripping fire hoses. Typifying some of these fire hose clamps, fittings, slings, and gripping devices for gripping fire hoses or for other purposes, are those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 96,682; 850,983; 1,944,868; 2,038,701; 2,243,387; 2,329,711; 2,349,887; 2,655,300; and 4,085,876. These prior art fire hose clamps, fittings, slings, and gripping devices have met with varying degrees of success. Most prior art fire hose clamps, fittings, slings, and gripping devices, however, are awkward, bulky, difficult to attach, adjust, remove, uncomfortable to hold, and/or are not very effective in reducing fireman fatigue.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved process and fire hose gripping device which overcomes most, if not all, of the preceding problems.